One of the coolest laptops came to us for a test MSI. Model Stealth 17 Studio A13V It is positioned as an ultra -thin and light laptop for work and games: with advanced iron, a branded cooling system of the latest generation, good sound and top screen with HDR support. It turns out a skeleton, reaper and on the dud Giper. Is this so – we will find out in our material.
Design, materials, assembly
The appearance in this case is super -laconic. This is a quite classic black laptop, without bright logos, lighting, complex geometry of the case and other bells. It is very atypical for such a high price category, but such simplicity of design makes the laptop practical: it looks appropriate both on the gaming table and in the working office.
Practical materials from which the laptop is assembled. Upper cover, base and working area around the keyboard – metal. Book edging – high -quality matte plastic. The laptop is easy to clean and hard to stain. The only thing when the machine is “threshed” for a long time, the keys are noticeably heated and holding their hands is not very pleasant. The same applies to the frame framing the keyboard.
As for the dimensions, the model does not look very compact, but in reality it is slightly thinner and slightly lighter than most similar devices. The thickness of the case does not exceed 21 mm, and the weight has 2.8 kg. Plus, in the region of 500 g, there are 240 watts of the power supply. It is still weighty, but considering which iron is equipped with MSI Stealth 17 Studio A13V, then the indicators are good.
But the assembly is just good – and point. There is nothing to creak and hang out here, even the keyboard does not bend. The only thing the display bends a little when you close or open it, but this is the norm.
Ergonomics and autonomy
About ergonomics. She, again, is familiar and almost without surprises. The keyboard is full-size with ANSI-disagreement and many fast combinations. The latter regulate the sound and brightness of the display, block the touchpad, webcam and the microphone, turn off and turn on the keyboard backlight, forcibly activate the maximum blowing mode of the internal components and display the cheat (but very useful) screens.
With the RGB keyboard, everything is fine: you can assign your color any key using Steelseries GG. But you can not bother and choose one of the good dozen effects already configured by the manufacturer. The only thing that lacks the backlight is a little brightness.
The glass touchpad is large (13 x 8 cm), convenient and accurate. Left and right buttons are pressed independently – you can calmly play strategy. Gestual management is present. The only nuance: the touchpad is slightly shifted to the right relative to the “gap” key, but you do not notice it when working.
The display is easily leaned back by one finger at ~ 165 ° and in the intermediate positions is fixed reliably: you can comfortably read or work on the road while the laptop on the knees.
Autonomy, on the one hand, is standard, and on the other, it is impressive if you take into account the power of the video card and the processor. The battery with a capacity of 6250 mAh lasted 80 minutes in the game F1 2021, and in the office package of applications worked about five hours. All this is with 50% brightness of the screen and sound level.
There are all the necessary connectors, they are correctly spaced on the sides of the device. On the left hand – 2x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A and combined 3.5 mm connector. On the right-SD-carder, one Thunderbolt 4, aka DisplayPort, aka USB Type-C and another USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, aka DisplayPort. At the back are the power nest, Ethernet port and HDMI output.
Display, sound, webcam
Let's move on to the display. This is an IPS-matrix with a diagonal of 17.3 ”, a deployment frequency of 144 Hz and an extended color cover and 4K permissions. With a modest screen size, we get the density of pixels in the region of 254 dpi – the clearness of the picture and the text is exemplary indicative.
The matrix here with mini-led lighting: here small LEDs are located behind the screen throughout its area. They work in groups, and each can turn on and disconnected regardless of the rest. For comparison, the traditional Edge LED backing, found in the vast majority of ordinary displays, works completely differently: more diodes, they are always turned on and placed strictly along the edges of the matrix.
The classic approach loses by the fact that the glow is constantly, which means a deep black color needs to be forgotten. But in the case of Mini-LED, the zones of diodes that are not participating in the construction of the pictures can be disconnected. That is, if the matrix needs to display the night sky and the moon on it, only the diodes responsible for the image of the satellite will work, and the rest will be simply inactive.
The result of this approach is much more saturated shades in the shadows, the lack of a problem of annoying litter and full support of HDR content, which means a more realistic, lively picture.
The brightness of the screen is excellent. Literally blinding, and therefore, to work with a conditional Excel Table somewhere in a summer cafe is not a problem at all. The level of minimal brightness is good: the display can be made very dull, which is useful for those who love reading at night.
We include the pluses and compliance with all the necessary color palette. This is important because the laptop is proposed to use as a tool for editing graphics. Actually, even the drivers of the NVIDIA graphic processor in the model are specific – Studio. Recall: unlike ordinary game drivers, which are aimed at stability in games, Studio-drivers are focused on working applications like Adobe Premiere, Photoshop, as well as another software like Davinci Resolve, for example. That is, if any of these programs has been updated yesterday, then today an updated Studio drive with supporting the current version will be released today.
Let's clarify that you can play with this driver. As, however, work with Game Ready Curiate. Plus, they can be put both of them and change among themselves "on the fly". But back to the screen. As a tool, he is obliged to work in SRGB, Adobergb and DCI-P3 modes, and he knows how. The desired option is selected with one click in the MSI Control Center and reboot does not require.
Six speakers are responsible for the sound, the creation of which was attended by the eminent company Dynaudio. The emitters have a different focus: the couple looks down, four more – up. Sound-exactly as you expect from a laptop of a similar class: a comfortable maximum volume, tangible stereo-paenarama, a relatively high degree of elaboration of small details of the phonogram.
As for the 3.5 mm connector, then everything is fine here too. Sennheiser HD 660S headphones played music cleanly, tight, assertively and just nice. In this aspect, MSI laptops are traditionally strong, and this one is no exception.
But the webcam at the model did without frills: 1080 dots and 30 frames per second. The picture gives out to communicate in Zoom or Discord, nothing more. But even here there is a trick! Fans of strict confidentiality can no longer buy isolet, since the lens at Studio A13V is closed with a special curtain.
Iron and cooling system
The iron laptop is really impressive. Two DDR5 RAM modules with a frequency of 5200 MHz, CL-table 42 and a volume of 16 GB each. Two seats for solid-state NVMe drives, one of which is occupied by a 1 TB disk production of Samsung. Reading and entry speed indicators are good: 6.6 GB and 2.4 GB, respectively.
The Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6e AX1675 controller is responsible for the wireless connection, there is also Bluetooth version 5.3 from Intel. Well, as two main “programs of the program” are the top-end BubblesBet Casino Intel Core i9-13900H processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop video card.
The energy consumption of GPU and CPU is dynamic and is distributed between components using software algorithms involving AI. However, you can set the logic of the behavior of the system yourself by choosing one of the presets in the software MSI Control Center. There are four of them in total, and the return in watts between them is distributed as follows:
- up to 15 watts for the central processor and up to 75 watts for graphics in the "super-battery" mode;
- up to 30 and 55 watts in "quiet" mode;
- up to 35 and 55 watts in a "balanced" mode;
- up to 115 and 110 watts in "Extreme performance" mode.
The maximum heating of the components is as follows: 77 ° on the kernels of the CPU and 75 ° on the video card crystal for the first mode. For the second – 83 ° and 75 °, respectively. In the third mode, the processor instantly warms up to 100 °, but almost immediately cools to 85 ° as a result of the Trottling, and the video card, in turn, reaches 75 ° and stops on this. And, finally, the fourth regime warms the GP even more: up to 82 °, but the CP behaves the same as in the previous case.
The peak level of noise in extremely productive mode we recorded at the mark of 48 dB. This is a typical indicator for laptops of such a high class of performance. If desired, the noise published by the device can be reduced by choosing, for example, a “quiet” mode. So you can even play undemanding games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but more voracious titles still require a productive regime.
We figured out temperatures and noise. Take a look at the working frequencies of the components. There are no complaints about the video card: in the extremely harsh, in terms of the graphic load The Plague Tale: Requiem, launched in 4K permissions and with active DXR effects without using DLSS, our RTX 4080 Laptop started from the mark of 2160 MHz, and then went to the 1875 plateau MHz with rare temperature trottling, which dropped the frequency bar up to 1711 MHz.
But things are worse with the processor: because of the actually continuous Trottling, his total frequencies were lower than the declared 5.4 GHz. For example, in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, a decrease in graphics and resolution quality up to 1080p did not help to reach a Native of 144 frames per second. All due to insufficient performance CP. Its frequencies fell to 3.3 GHz for productive nuclei and up to 3 GHz for energy -efficient. Recall, 13900h of them six and eight, respectively.
In the case of heavy calculations, the picture is similar. With stress testing in Linx 0.9.7 We received the same 3.3 and 3 GHz. A little higher, the result in visualizers based on V-Ray: 3.8 and 3 GHz. Not too high values, but it is predictable: the processor is too hot for laptops. Even the excellent cooling system MSI Stealth 17 Studio A13V barely copes with it. Take a look at her better.
Before us is the fifth generation of proprietary CO from MSI called Cooler Boost. The main distinguishing feature of the new iteration is the innovative technology of Shared Pipes, which implies the joint use of three heat tubes by the processor and video card. The remaining four remove heat from the components individually, as usual.
The rest of the constructive is also traditional: two reserved turbine -type turbine fans blow four radiators placed in pairs located on the sides and in the back of the laptop body.
Game performance
Finally, to the most interesting – game benchmarks. This time we have changed the usual testing methodology a little. Now she looks like this. To begin with, the native resolution of the display matrix and the maximum quality of graphics rendering are selected, DXR effects are included, if any, and DLSS is deactivated. Then the test is repeated, but already with active DLSS. Then DLSS and DXR effects are disconnected.
The next step is to reduce the predefined presets to a minimum, or to the threshold, at which 60 frames per second are achieved. And so in three resolutions: UHD, WQHD and FullHD.
Based on the results of testing, one can definitely say one thing: the laptop is really powerful. This is really a mobile game station with performance that we have not met in such devices before. Yes, there are certain problems with the FPS in 4K resolution, but in the overwhelming number of games from our test package, either DLSS or a decrease in graphics settings to a high level helps. The exception is incredibly beautiful and equally demanding Plague Tale: Requiem. In it, a comfortable frame of 4K could not even reach a low presettlement of the quality of the picture.
As for the resolution of WQHD, there were no problems in it at all. The laptop is quite calmly pulling any game with FPS close to 60, or higher. This is with maximum settings and active DXR effects without DLSS participation. At the same time, the difference in the details of WQHD and 4K images can be found only under the magnifier. That is, you can safely lower the resolution.
But go down even lower, that is, to FullHD, it makes no sense anymore. Firstly, because no modern game requires this. Secondly, performance will still reproach the processor, and not to the video card.
Results
MSI Stealth 17 Studio A13V – Very productive laptop. On it you can not only play demanding projects at maximum settings. Due to a powerful video card and a good display, you can work with complex content, create 3D graphics, mount a video and solve any other problems. There is everything you need for playing, creativity and business: a reliable assembly of the case, pleasant materials, pure sound, high autonomy, advanced display with HDR support and crystal with a clear picture.
Of the minuses, one can only note the very hot iron that heats the case … Well, the price of 329,000 rubles. However, when buying such a device, two things should be taken into account. Firstly, MSI – A reliable and stable brand that has successfully proven itself in the Russian market. He has service centers, a full -fledged warranty, technical support online and other things that most competitors cannot offer. Secondly, MSI Stealth 17 Studio A13V Idented by the most advanced iron, which will not be outdated in the next 5-6 years. Therefore, such an acquisition will definitely pay off, especially if your type of activity is related to modelling, animation and other creative tasks. In general, for such a beast you can give any money – it is worth it.
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